Is It Time to Redesign Your Website?

6 Questions to Help You Decide

Your website is often the first impression your brand makes—and in today’s fast-paced digital world, that impression needs to be sharp, seamless, and strategic. But how do you know when it’s time to redesign your website? Whether you call it a site refresh, a digital update, or a full-blown website overhaul, the decision to revamp your online presence can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, asking the right questions can make that decision much clearer.

Here are six essential questions to help you determine if your current website is still working for you—or holding you back:

Are The Visuals & Design Outdated?

If your site looks like it hasn’t changed in years, visitors may assume your business hasn’t either. A modern, visually appealing design builds trust and keeps users engaged.

If your site includes any of the following, then it might be time for a redesign:

Clunky navigation: Awkward menus or confusing pathways that frustrate users and make it hard to find information.
Text-heavy pages: Dense paragraphs or long blocks of text that overwhelm visitors and hide key messages.
Multi-Step Donation forms: Processes that require users to complete several separate pages or steps before finalizing their contribution.

Streamlining your design and content not only refreshes your brand image but also creates a more welcoming, donor experience.

Can Donors Find What They Need?

Donor experience is everything. If your navigation is confusing or key information is buried, donors will move on—and likely won’t return.

Beyond navigation, readability is crucial—your content should be clear, concise, and accessible to every visitor. An easy-to-read site ensures that donors understand your mission and how they can support your work without confusion.

Is It Challenging to Keep Your Site Updated?

For many nonprofits, keeping website content fresh is essential to building trust and maintaining donor engagement. If your team hesitates to make updates because the backend is cumbersome or outdated, your mission stories, event details, and campaign pages can quickly fall out of date. A streamlined website redesign can make content management simple and intuitive—empowering your staff and volunteers to keep your online presence relevant and compelling.

Is It Responsive?

With mobile traffic dominating the web, your site must look and function flawlessly on every device. If it doesn’t, you’re losing potential customers. This idea aligns closely with the principles outlined in our article Is Your Homepage Set Up for Success, which explores how responsive design and user-focused homepage strategies create stronger first impressions and drive engagement. By ensuring your site excels on all platforms, you’re taking a vital step toward a homepage—and an entire website—engineered for real results.

Does It Bring You Donations?

Speaking of driving donor engagement, your website should be a growth engine. If it’s not generating donations, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Exploring strategies for ongoing site enhancement can make all the difference.

For example, offer donors several giving options. Provide clear, simple donation forms for different payment methods. Add a dedicated page for alternative gifts—recurring, stock, or employer matching. Make it easy and inspiring for supporters to get involved.

For deeper insights into elevating your donor experience, consider reading our article Be Wise: Optimize to Maximize.